


When we Fall

by Madiletio



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: AU, Allura is a hoe in this sorry not sorry oops, Angst, F/M, Gen, Hurt, M/M, flirtyrobot, fuck me up, pance, pidgance, plance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-14
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-03-04 18:04:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13370220
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madiletio/pseuds/Madiletio
Summary: Everyone had their own suspicions as to what had happened on the night of the accident. But the fact of the matter was Katie had simply been there at the wrong place and time. And now? Lance was struggling to make it through the semester while she fought to live through another year.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Let me just state this now that this fic is not fluffy at the start.  
> And Allura is a hoe in this but let me just make this clear I like her so pls don't be mad.

Snow had fallen heavily onto the pavements, covering them in a thick layer of ice. Signs were usually placed out on the sides of the roads to warn other drivers to drive with caution on the icy roads. Yet, Katie didn't take much notice to any of them. Her mind was in a trance-like state and her body felt completely numb to any emotion. She gripped onto the steering wheel tight, making her knuckles pale at the tension. She needed to get out of that house and away from everybody. Allura and Lance more specifically. Her heart hurt and she hated herself so much for it. For falling in love with the dork who lived next door to her. The boy who would join her on top of her balcony to watch the stars together. The same person who showed her how to feel alive again after her father's death.

And now? she was completely shattered all over again.

Lance and her had grown up together. They had been inseparable as children and that didn't change as they grew older. The only thing that really did change between them was their relationship. But just like everything else, all good things must come to an end eventually, even if she didn't want them too.

An exchange student was being hosted by Lance's family for the semester and at first, when Lance had told her, she was also excited about it. But that feeling shortly died after Allura had been introduced and went to great lengths to try and keep Lance and her apart. Of course, they would still keep in contact via text but it wasn't the same. The only time they really had together was at school, but even then that was limited. Most times she would just push all of her negative thoughts and emotions away until she could no longer handle it anymore.

So when Lance and her got partnered up together for a joint science project, she was ecstatic. It gave Lance and her a valid reason to spend time together without Allura.

That's what she thought at least until she went over to Lance's house to get started on the project. However, when she walked into Lance's room she saw Allura lean into Lance and kiss him. But just as quickly as she had kissed him, he backed away from her.

"What the actual-"

"We all know you're going to fall for someone better eventually. You really should consider leaving her, _babe_."

Her voice was cold and bitter. And in all honesty, it made Katie freeze.

It wasn't until Lance had turned around and saw her, standing there in his doorway, that he knew what Allura was trying to do.

"Katie wait-"

There was one feeling Katie would never forget It was the same type of feeling that overcame her when her father had been pronounced dead all those years back.

She needed to get out of there as quickly as she could. So she ran and didn't stop until she reached her car in her driveway. Any other thought of reasoning was merely muted. She needed to go. She had to. Even if it was for a short drive she just couldn't be there right now.

So she left and didn't bother to look back once.

 

At 6:30 pm Matt had knocked on Lance's front door, asking if Katie was still over. It wasn't until 8 pm when the authorities showed up at the Holts doorstep, sympathy was clear on their faces as they informed Colleen Holt about her daughter.

When Lance had heard a car pull into Katie's driveway, he quickly made his way towards the window, only to freeze up when he saw the police car instead. He watched as Colleen's expression suddenly changed from worry to pure terror. He hurried out the door to catch Matt hurrying out of the house.

"Matt! What's going on!?"

Matt's steps faltered before he stopped to quickly respond to him.

"There's been an accident Lance. Katie's being airlifted to the hospital as we speak."

And with that, Matt took off after his mother and the police, leaving Lance to come to the realization of what he had just said.

"No fucking way...this can't be happening. this can't be happening!"

Lance fell to his knees and gripped his hair tightly, screaming as loud as he possibly could. It didn't take long before his mom came running out and brought Lance into a tight hug, as he continued to sob.

 


	2. Chapter 2

The first twenty-four hours had been brutal for everyone. For the most part, Matt paced the hall of the waiting room, biting his nails anxiously as the hours dragged on. It wasn't until midnight when a doctor had finally come to speak with them. They followed the doctor into a consulting office before being asked to take a seat.

"Mrs Holt, I'm not the kind of guy to sugar coat things. Just please keep that mind."

The doctor sat down while looking at his clipboard one last time before setting it down on top of the desk.

"As you know, Katherine was in a serious accident. She's only just come out of surgery and will be transported to the ICU shortly."

Collen covered mouth, trying to mute her sobbing. Matt leaned over and held her hand.

"You must know ma'am...upon looking at the x-rays we took of Katherine's back, we discovered a spinal fracture. Now, we aren't sure how bad it is yet, and we won't know until she wakes up."

Matt's heart felt as though it had stopped. His anxiety was making him feel slightly panicked.

"What are you trying to imply doctor?"

He sighed before leaning forward and looking at them both sympathetically.

"We don't know if she can walk or not. And just as I stated before, we won't know until she wakes up. If she wakes up."

Collen hesitated for a moment before speaking "What do you mean if?"

The room felt colder than it was when they had first entered it. Matt was still convinced this was all some form of a sick nightmare and that he'd wake up any second now. But that wasn't the case at all. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Katie had multiple injuries and this was only the tip of the iceberg. Katie was in a coma and the chances of her waking up from it weren't looking too great. The worst part, however, was the fact there was little to nothing the doctors could do to wake her up, expect to monitor her closely for twenty-four hours.

It was early morning when Lance had received a call from Matt. He was driving back home to pick up some essentials before heading back out to the hospital. So Lance quickly threw on some clothes and tried to quietly go down the stairs, without waking his entire family up. Grabbing his jacket, he snuck outside and waited on Katie's front porch for Matt to come back.

It wasn't long before Matt pulled up into the driveway. And when he stepped out of the car he looked extremely exhausted.

"You look like shit."

"Thanks." Matt gave him a half-hearted smirk as he passed Lance and headed straight for the door.

"How is she?"

Matt froze for a second before turning back around to face him.

"Matt? What's going on?"

It suddenly overwhelmed Matt and he broke down. Lance's breathing hitched as he watched Matt slowly breakdown right in front of him. He wasn't sure whether to go up to him and comfort him or to give Matt space. It wasn't until Matt sat down next to him, Lance pulled him into a slightly awkward side hug.

After a little while Matt had finally calmed down and the two of them both went inside the Holt house. Lance had suggested to Matt that he take a quick twenty-minute nap and he would go into Katie's room and get her things. And if it wasn't for the fact that Matt was beyond exhausted, he would have declined.

So Lance was the one in Katie's room, collecting a few of her things in a bag for her.

He knew his way around Katie's room like the back of his hand. Her room always seemed to have a faint scent of cinnamon, and her bed hadn't been made from the previous morning. He walked over to her computer desk and picked up her favorite sweater she often wore. He held it up close to his chest and his eyes started to blur. He wanted more than anything to be strong for her, but truth be told he was petrified of losing her. The worst was that he didn't know what was happening or how bad of a condition Katie was in. And with the way Matt had acted, it only added fuel to his anxiety. After a few minutes, he managed to compose himself and continued to gather Katie's belongings. He was nearly finished when Matt walked into the room, expression blank as though he had just seen a ghost.

"We need to go back to the hospital Lance."

Lance already had a gut feeling as to what Matt was about to say and he was silently praying that Matt wasn't going to say what he already knew.

"Katie flatlined."


	3. Chapter 3

Matt's words was almost as strong as the power of a gun, damaging anything and everything. And now? He had taken his aim and opened fire.

“Matt...come on, that isn’t funny..” Lance could feel his heart thump against his ribcage violently. He could feel his hands get clammy as the adrenaline from his flight or fight response started to kick in.

_“We need to go Lance.”_

The ride to the hospital felt like hours on end when in reality, it had only been an hour.Once they arrived they rushed over into the waiting room, where they had found Collen sobbing into the sweater Katie had worn that evening. Matt walked over to be with her, while Lance followed close behind.

Lance had tried his hardest to keep his emotions at bay, but seeing Matt and Colleen break down, completely tore him apart. The Holt’s had become like a second family to him. Katie and him had clicked almost instantly, just like a moth drawn to a flame. And he loved her. He loved her so much-

The sudden realization hit him, a wave of sickness rushing over him all at once.

Katie had walked in just as Allura went up towards him and kissed him. At first, Lance thought Allura didn’t know Katie was his girlfriend, but he had made it quite clear to Allura that he was off limits. But Allura had still managed to get Katie to become more distant over the weeks the more Allura had kept trying to invade on them and their personal time together. .   
  


Katie left his house upset and he couldn’t stop her. And now? All they knew was what the doctors had been telling them. About the scene of the accident, the damage, the injury.

Yet, above all that he wanted more than anything for her to come back. He couldn’t lose her. Neither could her family.

* * *

  


_“You’re a long way from home, don’t you think kiddo?”_

The nurses had gathered around Katie, each one having an important role to play in order to try and resuscitate her.

_“Dad?”_

The defibrillator had been started, the first shock had begun.

_“Hey, there sweetheart.”_

_There was darkness all around, a sense of nothingness._

_“Dad...what’s happening to me?”_

Another shock from the defibrillator.

_“You need to go back home sweetie. You still have your whole life ahead of you.”_

Another shock.

_“I love you so much sweetheart.I’m so beyond proud of you and your brother. So please, for me, return home. Return to your family. Return to Lance.”_

_Light drowned out the darkness as though she had just been drowning in it. Sounds were muffled as though her head was submerged underwater. Yet, although she was starting to get aware, she couldn’t come up for air._

“I have a pulse!”

* * *

It wasn’t until noon when The Holt’s had received the news about Katie. Matt and Colleen hugged each other, sobbing tears of relief and Lance collapsed to his knees, overwhelmed at the news, with all previous tension gone.

However, Katie wasn't out of the woods yet. But it was hope. And that’s what they needed at that moment.

Matt drove Lance home a couple hours after that, promising to call him if there were any updates on her condition. Even though he much rather wait at the hospital, he had some matters that needed dealing with, sooner rather than later.

“Mom?”

Lance shut the door behind him before walking down the hallway, peering into the living room, only to find his little sister curled up on the couch, fast asleep. Smiling to himself he walked over to where she was and gently placed a blanket over her. Just as he was about to walk out of the room, she called his name.

“Lance?” She sat up, brunette curls all messy and ruffled from her nap.

“Sorry Lacey, I didn’t mean to wake you-”

He was cut off.

“Is Katie going to be okay? Momma didn’t tell me much but I overheard Brent talk to dad about it.”

The question threw him off guard, and he made a mental note to kick Brent’s ass for not checking to make sure their little sister wasn’t around.

She was only eight after all.

He put on a fake smile for her and ruffled her hair affectionately.

“Yeah. She’s okay.”

Lacey’s eyes lit up with happiness and she quickly scrambled to get up from the couch.

“Woah there! What’s the rush?”

“I need to draw Katie a picture! She’s my best friend!”

And with that, Lacey went off, running to her bedroom to make her ‘best friend’ a picture. It warmed Lance’s heart that Lacey thought Katie was her best friend, all because she had shown Katie one of her drawings and she had told Lacey they were amazing.

But once she left, the smile had faded and he continued his search for his mom, only to find out she went out to get ingredients to make dinner for Katie’s family.

He ran his fingers through his hair tiredly as walked up the stairs to go to his bedroom. He needed to let their friends know. The guilt had been eating at him all day for not contacting them sooner. But, when he walked into his room, he saw Allura standing in front of the window, watching the snow fall.

“What are you doing in here?”

Seeing her made him feel aggravated and uneasy. And he wanted nothing more than for her to leave his room.

“Lance~ Where were you?” she turned around, trying her hardest to sound seductive, but in reality, it was just plain cringey.

“You’re kidding me right?”

She shook her head.

“ I was in the hospital. Waiting with my girlfriend’s family for nearly an hour to find out if she going live or not. So don’t you dare even try to act all oblivious and ‘cutesy’ because it’s not going to work on me.”

Allura gasped before hurrying over to Lance, trying to look him in the eyes.

“But Lance-”

He cut her off.

“I love Katie, Allura. So much. So please for the love of everything holy stop trying to ruin my relationship. It just makes you look desperate. “

Allura was livid. That was plain to see. And maybe if it wasn’t for the fact Katie had flatlined, then maybe he would have been a little more easy on her. But what happened, happened and if Allura hadn’t kissed him then Katie wouldn’t currently be fighting for her life.

“I’ll be informing my daddy about this.”

Lance lost all the fucks he could give. He just wanted to get Allura out of his room, and his house in general.

“Which one?”

Allura gasped for the second time before storming out and shutting the door behind her with a loud bang.

* * *

 

Two days later the hospital allowed non-family visitors in to see Katie. It was mid-afternoon and the Holts went home for the first time since Katie was hospitalized. Lance promised Matt he would contact them if anything happened, and that he wouldn’t leave her side until they came back.

So once it was just the two of them, in the ICU, it fully hit Lance. The fact that he almost lost her became all the more real for him.

Gently he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, being careful not to bump the bed or accidently disconnect something.

“Hey, Pidge,”

He smirked. It had been years since he had called her that.

“I know you’ve never been one for mornings but it’s been three days now. “ He squeezed her hand a little.

“Remember that time you were late to your finals because you had slept in due to the fact you stayed up for the majority of the night stressing? “

Katie looked peaceful, considering all the injuries she had suffered. Lance stood up and brushed away a loose strand of hair from her face before kissing her forehead.

It was as if Katie had just come up for air. Pain overwhelmed her as she started to regain her consciousness.

“I love you. I love you so much Katie.”

_Lance’s voice shot through her, reaching out to her like a lifeline, ready to be grabbed and pulled back to shore. And she took it._

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter made me cry a little not going to lie. I made a playlist for this because why the hell not: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL7A7APXajhSOPDSBIzHyWfHqTf2bX4fQe
> 
> Also if you want to yell at me my tumblr is breachinthesky


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is lil short but here you go!

** ** _ _

_Being with Katie was like learning to ride a bike without the training wheels for the very first time, scary and exhilarating all at the same time. And he refused to let go the handlebars because the thought of crashing was_ more terrifying _than removing the training wheels._

_But even when holding on tightly, there's still the risk of crashing anyway._

It was quiet in the ICU, with the exception of the various machines and monitors that were on, doing their part in keeping all of their patients alive. Time felt non-existent and Lance had caught himself spacing out every so often, with thoughts of past memories of Katie and him.

He’d do little things mindlessly, in an attempt to keep himself calm, like stroking her hair or squeezing her hand, hoping for a response or a sign that she was still there and alright. But there was nothing. And as the hours dragged on, the more his anxiety rose until he couldn't take it anymore.

He needed to step out for a minute and get coffee, or something, anything to keep him distracted.

Standing up, he kissed Katie on the forehead.

“I'll be back soon.”

As he turned around to leave, Lance heard a faint murmur from behind him. It was faint but he heard it. She was there and waking up. And for some, that murmur might have seemed little to nothing, but for him, it was huge.

Immediately he turned back around and sat by Katie’s side again. Holding onto her hand as he waited.

_“Come on Pidge..”_

He felt her hand squeeze slightly against his. Tears filled his eyes as he squeezed back.

* * *

Lance’s mother, Genevieve, considered herself to be a reasonable woman when it came to people and their wrong doings and misunderstanding with her family, but when someone tried to purposely hurt her kids, she didn’t hold back with putting said people in place.

And boy did she have a bone to pick.

Knocking gently on the guest bedroom door, she entered before Allura had time to respond.

Setting down the basket of laundry she had been carrying with her onto the foot of the bed, she gave Allura one of her classic fake smiles she used to give her children before giving them the biggest lecture of their life. But as that got older they picked up on her tactic, but for an outsider, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Folding the clothing gently, she waited a little before prompting a conversation.

“So Allura, how are you liking staying here in Oregon?”

Allura was sitting on the bed, casually scrolling through her phone, not making eye contact.

“It’s been good thanks.”

Genevieve rolled her eyes.

“So Lance told me you will be leaving us? How come?”

Of course, she already knew why. Lance had told her everything. But she knew better than to outright accuse someone. Oh no if she was going to frame a woman for being a homewrecker, she was going to do it as professionally as she could.

Allura put down her phone before adjusting herself on the bed, making eye contact with Genevieve for the first time.

“Lance told me to go. That I wasn’t welcome here anymore.”

Silence.

“Oh? Now, why would he say something like that?”

More silence.

“He kissed me even though he knows I have a boyfriend. When I told him I had no romantic feelings for him, he left.”

Genevieve turned around with a look of surprise on her face, making eye contact with Allura for the first time.

“Oh really? That’s funny considering Lance had told me the exact same thing, except you were the one to kiss him. Honey, nobody likes a jealous bitch from a rich family who tries to deliberately tear apart two people for their own gain. “

Allura gasped before standing up and grabbing her already prepacked suitcase from the corner of the bed.

“Fine. I’m leaving. You’ll be hearing from my lawyers.”

And with that, Allura stomped her foot before leaving the room, dragging her hot pink glitter suitcase behind her.

* * *

It was a slow process but surely enough, Katie was beginning to wake up. Everyone was extremely relieved to hear the news. Lance had called Matt once the doctors had done a checkup on Katie. To say Matt let out a sob of relief was an understatement. He was a sobbing mess.

Lance didn’t let go of her hand once. He doubted she would wake up before Matt and Colleen arrived and he wanted to be there for her just in case she did.

The doctors had described a patient waking up from a coma is like waking up from anaesthesia It can take from a couple seconds to couple hours. But all that mattered was that Katie was there, and she was waking up.

When the Holts arrived into the ICU, Lance felt guilty for not wanting to leave her, but he knew that they needed space, and he had a feeling the last person Katie would want to see is him. Especially him.

Standing up, he kissed her forehead before turning around and hugging Colleen briefly before hugging Matt.

“You’ll text me when she wakes up right?”

Matt nodded. “Of course man. You’ll be the first person I tell.”

Humming in agreement, Lance turned around to look at Katie one last time before he left.

“I’ll be back soon. Promise.”

He started to head for the door when he heard it, heard her. It was barely a whisper but he heard it regardless. 

“Stay.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof I'm sorry for the few months of silence. I got busy and depressed lol.   
> enjoy!

_“Stay.”_

Anxiety ran through Lance as he suddenly jolted upwards in his bed, desperately looking around his room for any hints that maybe, just maybe, he hadn’t just been dreaming. But the truth was pretty clear. It was a nothing but a fabrication of what he wanted to so desperately to happen.

For Katie to wake up.

Tears fell down his cheeks as Lance settled back down in his bed, hugging his pillow tightly.

This had been the third night in a row that week that he had woken up from these dreams. It was almost as if his mind was enjoying making him feel like complete and utter shit. The worst part about it all was the fact that Katie was showing little to no signs of waking up, and the more the days dragged on, the more concerned everyone got.

A soft knock at the door pulled Lance from his thoughts and looked up to see Lacie standing there, fiddling with the hem of her shirt. Quickly wiping the tears from his cheeks he got out from underneath his covers and approached his little sister.

“Lacie you okay? It’s early in the morning.”

Lacie burst into tears as she hugged her brother tightly with trembling arms.

“ I had a nightmare and I don’t want to awaken momma.”

His heart ached when Lacie cried into his shirt more. Whatever the dream had been, it had truly shaken her up. But what made Lance tear up was the fact that he couldn’t protect his baby sister from bad dreams, even if more than anything he wanted to.

Hugging her tightly to his chest, he kissed the top of her head and brushed away some of her many curls from her face.

“Want to sleep in my bed?”

Lacie nodded, still sniffling as Lance took her hand in his and walked her to the bed. He wasn’t exactly sure why, but most of his younger siblings found his bed comforting. Maybe it was the two blankets he refused to sleep without or the insane amount of pokemon plushies he had since he was twelve that made them feel safe, whatever it was, it helped them and that’s all that really mattered.

The two snuggled up together underneath the blankets, still refusing to let go of one another.

“Lance?”

He was tired and his eyes hurt, but there was no way in hell he was going to go to sleep before Lacie.

“Hm?”

“Will Katie be alright?”

His heart dropped at the question. Lacie was still so young and had never experienced anything like this before. And on top of that? Lacie had no idea just how bad of a state Katie was in, and it wasn’t like they could just outright explain it to her either.

So with a forced smile, Lance gave a slight nod of his head and the two shortly fell asleep afterward.

And for the first time since the accident, Lance had slept soundly that night.

* * *

 

The hospital always seemed to be quiet in the morning. It was as if there was this unspoken solitude that just lingered there for a while before disappearing. Matt loved visiting Katie during this time. He was more relaxed and less on edge.

Closing the door behind him, Matt sat down on the chair next to Katie’s bed, taking her hand into his, gently.

His mind had been overwhelmed with various thoughts and emotions that were hard to see, like a street lamp hidden behind a sheet of fog. There was so much he wanted to say to his baby sister, to let her know that he was still there and so was everyone who cared about her.

At the start of the week he was in denial that anything this severe had happened to Katie, and by the end of it, with lots of tears, Matt had come to the conclusion of what he needed to do.

He had to let her go.

So even though he was breaking inside, Matt smiled at his sister and began to talk to her.

“Hiya kiddo. You’ve been asleep for a few days now..”

Taking a deep breath, he continued.

“I know that you probably can’t hear me but if there is a slight chance that you can...then..it’s worth a shot.”

Despite the countless tubes and cables connected to her, she looked peaceful. And that’s what tormented Matt the most.

She had already flatlined once, who was to say it wouldn’t happen again? And if it did, would it be fair on Katie to bring her back?

Because at the end of the day, Katie would be the one to live with her injuries. There would be countless therapy sessions and doctors appointments for months, years even.

And if Matt knew anything about his sister, he knew she would be miserable.

So if he had to be the one to let go, so she wouldn’t have to suffer, then he would.

He would do anything to protect his baby sister, even if it involved him sacrificing his happiness for a while.

Everyone would mourn, yes. But there would also be a sense of relief, knowing that she wasn’t in pain. Of course, time would slowly heal them and they would slowly but surely move on.

But they would never forget her.

“Do you remember when we were kids and dad used to take us up to his cabin in the summer? We would spend hours playing in the creek and making little stick houses for the frogs to ‘live in’. “

“Then one day we went running into the grass fields and you tripped and scraped your knee. It wasn’t bad or anything but you still cried.”

Matt choked up.

“So eight year old me picked you up and desperately tried to take you back to the safety of dad’s cabin. Yet halfway there you jumped down and gave me one of your biggest smiles and walked hand in hand with me to the cabin.”

Tears were on the brink of spilling.

“So, in a way, this is me taking you back to dad’s cabin. If you want to go and be safe with him, I understand. Mum and Lance will too. We love you Katie and that won't ever change. So if you want to let go, you can. We understand.”

Warm tears streaked down Matt’s cheeks as he looked at his sleeping sister. And for once he felt a weight lift from his shoulders.

And just like how five-year-old Katie had done with him that summers day, he gave her his biggest smile he could bring.

Everything would be okay.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry. scream at me on my tumblr @ madiletio


End file.
